The Birth of Beth Avi

WHEN Jacob fled from the face of his brother Esau for fear of his life, he once passed and slept at a place previously called Luz. He took one of the stones of that place, rested his head on it, and fell asleep.

Then, he dreamed of a ladder that reached to the top of the heavens and the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Then the Lord stood above it, and said:

"I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” (Genesis 28:13-17).

Following that event, he called that place Bethel which means House of God (Beth is house and El is God).

The name Beth Avi bubbled out from this story of Jacob at Bethel. Now that we are under the New Covenant, not only did we become God's people, but we also have the blood-bought right of calling Him our Father. 

As the Scripture says in Ephesians 1:5:

"...having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will".

And also in another part in Romans 8:15-17:

"For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."

Jesus Christ came and turned as from slaves of sin to sons and daughters of the living God, Him being the firstborn over all the creation, bearing the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15).

In Beth Avi (House of My Father), we envision to unveil God as our Father and reveal Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. We aim to share the unadulterated Word of God to people who are willing to receive Christ into their hearts and into their lives. 

We also believe in Sola Sciptura (By Scripture alone) and esteem highly the authority and inerrancy of the Bible. We believe in rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2-15) and in interpreting the Bible in its context.

Above all, we do not believe that one must have a religion inorder to get saved. Rather, one is saved by confessing in their mouth the Lord Jesus Christ (that He is his Lord and Savior) and by believing in his heart that God raised Him from the dead (Rom.10:9). This is how the Bible teaches us about salvation. It is not by works, but by the Grace (undeserved favor) of God. 

We hope to see you in one of our weekly eBible Study. It is absolutely free. Blessed weekend to all! God bless us all!

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HAPPENING THIS MONTH OF NOVEMBER

Light Of The World

In the beginning, when the original creation became without form and void in judgement to Lucifer's rebellion, God spoke light. He said "Become Light!", or in the Hebrew "יהי-אור" (Ye Hi Or!).

Genesis 1:3

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

English translations and traditional teachings say "Let there be light!". While it's not wrong to say that, it can be a little misleading from what the original words really meant. There is a hidden message in those words that can only be seen in the Hebrew.

God's name is YAHWEH (יהוה), the covenant-keeping God. Where it says LORD (capital letters) in the English Bible, it says YAHWEH in the Hebrew. The Jews today, in their reverence to God, calls Him Adonai or HaShem (The Name). But for us who belong to Christ and are Abraham's seed, not only we call Him YAHWEH, but also ABBA, which means "Father".

So when God said "Become Light" or "Ye Hi Or!" (יהי-אור),In essence, He is saying: "Jesus, become Light!". This is that hidden message that was lost in the English translations.

The Name Jesus in the Hebrew is ישוע (Yeshua) which means YE saves (YE is a shortened from of YAHWEH).

Hebrew reads from right to left. So when reading in English, start with "And said.."

So when the original creation became without form and void (Genesis 1:2), YAHWEH called on YESHUA to become light, and indeed YESHUA became light!

It is also noteworthy to see that it was only after God made Jesus the Light that He proceeded on to restore everything in the Creation. As the Gospel of John proclaims: 

John 1:3

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

And also in Colossians:

Colossians 1:16-17

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Many years passed, YAHWEH came in the flesh as Jesus. He then declared this openly in John 8:12  saying "I am the Light of the world". 

What can we learn from this?

In our lives, when everything else is falling apart, when the world seems dark and all that's left are ruins, it is the perfect time to call upon that Great Light named Jesus. Surely, He is able to turn things around for our good (Romans 8:28). This we know that whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).

He will not nag at us for causing ourselves the trouble that we are in. But in love, He will deliver  and supply us the wisdom to keep us from falling into the same mud over and over again.

To the believers, He will not be a Judge but a Savior. What He will do is carry us, place us on top of His strong shoulders, and rejoice! This is Jesus, our Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His flock. 

Going back to the story of Creation in Genesis 1:3, traditional teachings also tell us that the light that God created on the first day was the sun. However, the Bible is crystal clear in telling us that the sun, the moon, and the stars were all created on the fourth day.

Genesis 1:14-19

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

From the verses above, we see that the "greater light to rule the day " (which is obviously the sun) and the "lesser light to rule the night" (the moon) were all created on Day 4. So clearly, that particular light in Day 1 was not the sun, but the SON!

Why is this so important?

The world today is in the midst of chaos and darkness once again. People call black white, and white black. Deception is widespread and many nations are gradually erasing the name of God - by pointing people back to themselves, or by introducing another 'god'.

In the midst of all these darkness, it is important to know that True Light can only be found in Christ, and not in any other source, may it be natural or man-made. Christ is the answer to everything and the supply to every lack.

As Bible prophecy continues to roll, we understand that the world will not get better. Satan's deception to the nations of the world will go on and many will depart from the faith. However, this is the time when the church and Israel will get brighter and brighter and the glory of the Lord will be upon them both.

As Isaiah 60:1-3 says it:

Arise, shine;

For your light has come!

And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,

And deep darkness the people;

But the Lord will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you.

The Gentiles shall come to your light,

And kings to the brightness of your rising.

The darker the world gets, the brighter the Church and Israel will shine. The more the world persecutes the Church and Israel, the more they both flourish, prosper, and grow! Where the light of Christ has shone, no one can ever put to darkness as He draws a clear distinction between what is His and what is of the world.

We are not saying that we rejoice when the world gets darker. However, the world, having turned away from the True Light, seems to be rejoicing that finally, it is able to do so. The glory of Christ is just too bright that the world would rather hide and live in the darkness so that Christ's light wont pierce into their eyes.

Whatever happens in the days to come, this we are assured of: that the light of Jesus Christ will continue to envelope His people until He snatches us away before the start of the Tribulation. Until then, our eyes are affixed on Him. 

Maranatha! 

About the Author

Jenno Marco Misa is the co-founder of Bethavi and is one of the writers of this website. He is largely influenced by the teachings of Joseph Prince, Ideal Baldoni, and Amir Tsarfati. As a Bible student, He believes that the centrality of Jesus Christ  is the key in rightly dividing the Word of truth. He strongly believes that people can only be justified by faith and not by works. 

For comments, reactions, and discussions, you may e-mail him at bethavibs@gmail.com.sg.

The Truth About The Flood

Did giants really exist in the past or are they just a figment of somebody else's imagination? If so, how were they born and when? How were they terminated?

The Bible testifies that indeed, giants did exist and walked on earth during the antediluvian period (the time between Adam's Fall and the Flood).

These creatures were the offsprings of the fallen angels who had sexual relations with the women on earth (Genesis 6:4). They were a race of half-fallen angel and half-human beings.

The demonic power that was behind all these was Satan who wanted to corrupt the human race so that the Promised Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, would not be born as a human.

The corruption was so severe that there were only 8 pure human beings left. They were Noah and his wife, his 3 sons, and their 3 wives.

It was during these times that God commanded Noah to build and ark so that he and his family can live and preserve the human race.

Inorder to wipe out this demonic widespread of half-fallen angel and half-human beings, God sent the flood. The flood was not just a righteous judgement but also a means to preserve the human race through which the Lord Jesus Christ will one day be born.

Not many understand this but the flood was actually sent inorder to preserve the human race because if it had been totally corrupted, Jesus Christ will not be born, and there wont be any hope of redemption anymore.

The flood totally destroyed everything including all the giants. However, they came back again, not immediately though.

Since God promised Noah that He will never again flood the earth, Satan had a second wave of these giants and they were the Canaanites.

This time, God formed a nation that never existed before, the nation of Israel. And one of their duties was to make sure that they wipe out these giants. If you could recall, David faced off one of these creatures in the person of Goliath.

So the next time you think about the flood, don't just think of it as a judgement. Think of it as God's faithfulness in carrying out His redemptive plan of salvation so that mankind can be restored back to where he was and to what He originally made him to be.

A New Creation By Grace

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

MANY of us have a shady background or a "dark past" as they will like to call it. We all have something in our yesterdays that we are definitely not proud of. How does this affect our first step in reconciling with God?

First thing that we need to establish is the truth that God stands outside time. This means that He sees everything from the beginning to the end. However, this does not mean that He influenced people to become what they have become. God has instituted human freewill and since then, He has been a Great Respecter of that, to the point that even salvation can only come to us by freewill.

Since God stands outside time, He probably knows us better than we know ourselves. For sure, He knows about that past that we are so ashamed of. He knows about every bad thought, bad move, and bad words that had come out of us. Herein lies the Great Love: despite knowing all these things, He still came and died for us.

The bottom line is: God knows about our past and has provided the Way out of it and become a new person. God does not rejoice in punishing us. He delights in extending grace and mercy toward us. Hence, the cross! 

The cross of Jesus Christ will be an eternal testament of a perfectly righteous Holy God making the Way to save us, sinful and wicked humanity. This testament will forever echo in the walls of eternity and will be the imperishable monument of that Great Love with which He loved us.

And the moment we, sinners, accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, God imputes His Son's righteousness to us. This means that God sees you the way He sees His Son. That's unbelievable! Yet that's exactly how it is today. 

His Son did no wrong, while we did not do anything right. His Son did not commit any sin, whereas we sin everyday in our lives. His Son obeyed Him perfectly, while we barely obey our parents. Yet, it was His Son who was nailed at the cross, not us! It was His Son who suffered and died, not us! Therefore, God was so satisfied with what Jesus did that after He raised Him from the dead, He made Him our Great High Priest and have become our representative to the Father. 

Today, God does not look at our righteousness so He could bless us. He looks at the Man at His right hand and what He has done, then turns to us to bless us. Jesus worked and accomplished, and we, His people, get to enjoy the benefits of what He has finished. This is why Christianity is not spelled as 'DO'. It is correctly spelled as 'DONE'. We completely rest and depend on what Christ has done.

Well, one may ask: "How about those criminals who have murdered, raped, robbed, and cheated? If they come to Christ and be a new creation, what about their crimes and all that? Will all those be forgotten?"

These people who have committed crimes will definitely be liable to the law of men. For sure, justice will have to be served. Whichever way they have offended, they must be punished in accordance to the existing laws of the land. After all, a nation's government is established by God to safeguard His people while they are here on earth.

However, just because these criminals are convicted in the eyes of men does not mean they will remain guilty in the eyes of God forever. As His Word declares "if ANYONE is in Christ", this word 'anyone' is inclusive of all sorts of people from different backgrounds, including the very people who nailed Jesus at the cross!

We do not condone sins. We do not make light of criminal offenses. We are irrevocably and strongly against it. However, the Word of God declares in Isaiah 1:18:

"Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the Lord,

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

They shall be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They shall be as wool.".

Criminals may be convicted and punished here on earth as penalties for the crimes they have committed. Yet, if they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they are forgiven in the eyes of God.

This is outside human logic. Human reasoning will never be able to completely understand the richness of God's mercy. We will never fully understand how a terrorist against the church would one day become the greatest apostle of all time (Paul). We will never know how a foul-mouthed fisherman would one day stand up and proclaim about the Man he once denied 3 times (Peter). And we will never understand how a king who plotted the murder of his own friend just to steal his wife, gets to be the greatest king of Israel (David).

We are too small to understand grace and we are too short to fathom mercy. Our hands are too small to handle grace and our heads are too minuscule to comprehend mercy. Yet, grace and mercy are the very essence of Jesus Christ. He is grace and mercy personified. If He chooses to extend His grace and mercy to these criminals, who are we to object?

The truth is, we are as sinner as those criminals. It may sound rude but in the eyes of God, a sinner is a sinner, regardless of how big or small the sin is. The 'minor sinner' needs salvation in as much as the 'major sinner' does and vice versa. We are all sinners. We are all dead and spiritually cut off from God. That is why we need resurrection life that comes from the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Unless we are spiritually born again, we will never make it to heaven.

God would not have been unrighteous if He decided to send all of us to the grave. We are sinners and we deserve that. But instead of sending us to the grave, He sent grace in the person of Jesus Christ. Our only part is to receive it, and once we receive it, this grace changes us from within and transform us into the same image of Jesus Christ.

God's Ways Are Higher

Are you frustrated that God's answer to your prayers is not exactly how you wanted it to be?

Are you disappointed at His ways because they seem to be contradictory to your own?

Or do you choose to disregard Him in your life because no matter what you do, it seems like you and God do not have the chemistry to work together?

TODAY'S Bible verse teaches us that as God, His ways are much higher than our ways, and His thoughts are way higher compared to ours. He paints a picture of heaven and earth to illustrate this to us - since heaven is way off the clouds and is much higher than the earth where we all are.

As human beings, we can't help but attempt to understand God's ways. And God does not condemn us for doing that. In fact, Psalm 103: 7 tells us "He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel." This means that God does not take offense whenever we try to understand His ways. However, we can never really do that unless, by grace, "He makes His ways known to us", in the same way as He did to Moses. 

Here's the truth, we are just the Creator's creations. Whether we like it or not, our minds are finite, limited, and many a times, what we think and how we act are much influenced by our emotions and feelings at that very time.

On the contrary, God is omniscient. The fact that He stands outside time and sees everything from the beginning to the end should give us a sense of comfort knowing that we serve a God who sees all things and acts according to what is good for us.

Although many a times we don't immediately understand what He does, we are very much assured that it is always for our good welfare. We are secure in the truth that God's plan is always good (Jeremiah 29:11) and that He always wants to bless us beyond our prayers (Ephesians 3:20).

The more we trust in His ways, the faster we can get to where He wants us to be. When we sync ourselves with His ways and submit to His plans, we will live a life of rest and we will notice that doors just open supernaturally without any struggle.

Well, one may ask : "How do we know that God is not lying and that He means what He say? How do we know that He is not just playing with words just to sound poetic?"

We know from the Bible that God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19). We know that His words are true (Psalms 33:4). We also know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever(Hebrews 13:8). And there are countless more verses to refer to that will prove beyond the shadow of any doubt that God means what He says, and says what He means.

Just think about this: God sent Jesus to die for us even before we were born, even before we realize we were sinners, and even before we realize that we need of a Savior. If God waited for us to understand first before He could act, then we will all be doomed. But no, God acts according to His wisdom. And when we make the Creator of everything the King of our lives, we can be assured that we will get there. The road ahead may not be as easy as ABC. But if the King leads us to it, we are assured that He will lead us through it.

Who Is Your Shepherd?

PSALMS 23 says the LORD is my Shepherd.

Well, what does it mean?

It means that you are not your own shepherd.

It means He is the one making you lie down in green pastures, not yourself.

It means He is the one leading you beside the still waters, not yourself.

And what's the green pasture for? Is it for the comfort of our eyes only? No! The Green pasture is for food! It is for our nourishment. With Him as our Shepherd, we are secured that we will  always be fed, both physically and spiritually. 

No wonder He said "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26)

This might sound very allegorical to many but hey, Jesus fed 5,000 men (not counting women and children which will mount up to 15, 000) with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish. What can He not do?

If He did that before, He knows for sure how to get us a good income and not only feed us and our families, but also be a blessing to others. God's blessing and supply are always greater than the demand.

What about the still waters? Is it only for our eyes to behold? No! It is for our consumption too! He does not lead us beside the still waters just so we can gaze and admire it. He leads us there so that He can quench our thirst! 

And more importantly, He is that living water that we must drink. John 7:37 says it this way "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink". 

Jesus is that drink that will forever quench our spiritual thirst. Once we drink it, we will never thirst again because the water that He gives us will become in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14)

Above everything else, "who" your shepherd is matters so much. In our case, the LORD is our Shepherd.

What does it mean again?

The LORD GOD who created the heavens and the earth, the One who flung the stars and galaxies into the space, and the One who governs the movements of all the celestial bodies, this same One is also our Shepherd. 

He who owns all the beasts and cattle in the field (Psalm 50:10) is watching over us.

He who parted the Red Sea for the Israelites is also thinking about us.

And He who loves us and gave Himself for us is right where we are, leading us out from every valley of death into a glorious land flowing with milk and honey.

If we could just stop trying to be our own shepherd and call upon the One, the Good Shepherd who has it all together, our lives would be much restful. 

We don't really need to be in control of everything. We just need Him  to be in control because after all, His hands are much much bigger than ours and is superbly able to carry us to the place where He wants us to be.

Besides, He is God. If He is in control, what can happen to us?

Living In Christ

IT IS appalling to hear sermons from the pulpit telling the people that they have to keep suffering for Christ's sake. Reinforced with misquoted Bible verses, they persuade people that sickness, sorrows, and poverty are all the “proofs” of a true Christian life. If so, who wants to become one?

I grew up hearing teachings that as a believer in Jesus Christ, I should just endure the sufferings and hardships because they are all essential parts of my testimony as a Christian. And I thought that it was so.

They would often quote this verse in Luke 9:23 “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,and follow Me.”

And by “take up his cross”, they would interpret it as saying “If Jesus took up His cross, we must also take up ours in the form of sufferings in life, hardships, sorrows, and poverty”. The imagery of the cross pictures in them a form of burden or a yoke. It can also mean any suffering or pain, because as they falsely believe, “If there is no pain, there is no gain”.

But as I read the Bible many years after, I found out that this is a total non-sense.

If Christians are supposed to be sick all their lives, how are they going to be a testimony to others? If Christians are always borrowing money out of poverty, how can they be a blessing to others? And if Christians are supposed to be always under hardships, how are they going to reign in life?

Taking Up the Cross

So what does it mean to “take up our cross and follow Him?” Why did Jesus take up the cross? Did it end by just taking up the cross?

When someone takes up his cross, this would mean that he is going to die soon after. The cross is not a pleasant object to carry, nor is it a good place to die. Besides the fact that it is so heavy while being transported on the person's back, he also suffers a slow and agonizing death – something that only the heinous criminals are sentenced to.

Neither was it a pleasant experience to Jesus. He was not happy that He was about to be crucified. The night before He was arrested, He sweat blood (Luke 22:44). The thought alone of being cut-off from the Father after bearing the sin of the world and the agonizing suffering that He knew He would need to go through were both boulders that He needed to hurdle. 

Nevertheless, He saw you and me, and the joy awaiting. He went His way, carried the cross and died. But thank God He did not stop there! He rose again after 3 days and ascended to the Father as our Great High Priest (Hebrews 12:2)

So, am I saying that we all have to die first before we could even follow Christ? Am I saying that we must all go to the cliff and throw ourselves down? How then can we follow when we are already in the grave? How can we be a blessing to others if we are already 6 feet below the ground?

I Have Been Crucified With Christ

To pick up our cross daily means to die from our old selves and be resurrected in the newness of the Spirit (Romans 7:6). Unless we are born again in the spirit, we can never be in union with Christ (John 3:3). And if we are not in Christ, we are still dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:5). And if we are still dead in our sins, there is only one place that we are headed to -hell (Matthew 25:46).

How do we die from our old self? How do we identify with His death and resurrection? By confessing with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). This is how we are saved and this is how we  identify ourselves with His death at the cross.

Simply put it this way: Jesus died our death so that in Him we can have life. His death was our death and His resurrection was our resurrection too!

If that's not enough, Paul makes it very clear for us in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

The Need to Die From Our Old Self

In our flesh dwells no good thing (Romans 7:18). This flesh is filled with a sinful nature which tends to do exactly the opposite of what the Spirit wants. The flesh in us stirs up rebellion against God's will.

Thus, the only way to overcome it is to die from it and live again in Christ through the Spirit. This is not to say that once you become a Christian, you will never commit sin. No, not at all. But that you will have newness in the Spirit who will help you walk victorious over every temptation. And if you should fall, the same Spirit picks you up and restores you.

The Bible also says about walking in the Spirit in Romans 8:5 “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

One Thing to Suffer

However, there is one suffering that Christians will have to bear: persecution for believing in Him.

In John 15:18, He said "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” And this is all that we are to suffer: persecution for believing in His Name. Other than that, every believer is meant to reign in life (Romans 5:17).

Yet even in this said persecution, His grace is always sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:19). He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). He will be with us even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). And if God is for us, who can stand against us? (Romans 8:31)

The True Meaning Of Repentance

IN MANY churches and denominations, repentance has been redefined in such a way that it sounds so heavy and burdensome. From its original word Metanoia, it simply means "Change of mind". Here's an example: "All your life you believe that God is always out to punish you, but after listening to a Christ-centered sermon, you REPENTED (or changed your mind) and now believe otherwise : that He is actually out to bless you, prosper you, and pour out good things on you.

Take note, repentance has nothing to do with "doing penance" or walking down the aisle on your knees just so God can spare some thought on you. It does not involve any form of act that requires you to bleed before God can listen to your voice.

His Goodness Leads Us To Repentance

HAVE you ever been told before that God sometimes punishes us to teach a lesson? Have you heard people quoting from the Bible to prove this point?

This is nothing more than a misinterpretation and a misquotation of the Bible. It is true that during the Old Covenant God was angry for a lot of times. And so this was one of the reasons why Jesus had to suffer at the cross. He absorbed in His body all the sins of the world and in Him, God unleashed all His righteous indignation and holy judgement against the sinfulness of man until there was none left. Jesus absorbed it all!

Today, it would be unrighteous for God to pour His judgement to us again, knowing full well that Jesus had paid the same judgement 2,000 years ago. The fact that Jesus was judged on our behalf is a guarantee that He will never ever be angry with us again.

We are now under the New Covenant where it is the Goodness of God (and not His punishment and wrath) that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). God still teaches us. He still does it. After all, He is still the Father and who better correct the children than Him. But He does NOT do it through sickness, sufferings, pains, and punishment. This is not biblical, and this is nothing more than a Satanic teaching trying to disfigure the image of a gracious God into a haunting and terrifying Punisher.

Be encouraged. We serve the Good God. And His plans is always to bless us and prosper us, plans of good and not evil (Jeremiah 29:11). Blessed day to all!

Jesus Is The Center Of It All

ONE of the greatest and most consistent teaching in the Bible is the centrality of Christ and Christ alone. May it be Old Testament or New Testament, Christ has been and will always be the center of it all.

It is through Christ that we are saved. It is Christ who is our One and only Mediator and Intercessor to the Father. And It is Christ alone who laid down His life for us. And so He alone deserves all the glory, honor and praise. Blessed day to all!

We Have Been Forgiven

When was the last time that you heard in your church that you have been forgiven of your sins?

When was the last time you were told that if you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are righteous in God's eyes?

When was the last time you were told that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God is on your side?

And when was the last time you were told that if you are in Christ, your sins and lawless deeds are remembered no more?

Take some time to ponder and meditate on these truths today. Blessed Day everyone!

Shalom Jerusalem!

Shalom Jerusalem!

Why do we always hear about Jerusalem in the news these days? Why are Jews around the world so much hated to the point that they are killed just because of their nationality? Why such hatred?

In Genesis 12, God called out a man named Abram who later became Abraham. This same man would become the 'father of many nations'. The covenant was then passed down to Isaac his son, and finally to Jacob his grandson, who later became Israel (Genesis 35:10).

Through Israel, God will bless all the nations around the world. But sadly, they were not fully obedient to their call and they committed idolatry, worshipped other 'gods' which are made of wood and stone, and turned away from the real and living God who has chosen them.

Ultimately, God came in the flesh to turn His people around. He came in the world as Jesus. He came as their King and Messiah. But He was not accepted, but was instead delivered up to Pilate to be crucified. However, all these were divinely planned out to carry on the Redemptive work for mankind.

And that is why Satan hates the jews so much. Jesus came as a Jew and so it can be said that salvation came from the Jews. This hatred against Israel and the Jewish people is satanic and it is evil. And anyone who hates Israel for that matter is definitely not on the Lord's side and they will be dealt with seriously when He comes back for His people and for us!

Many churches around the globe are saying that the church has replaced Israel. This foolish and satanic teaching is called REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY. And sadly, this is very prevalent in many many churches today.

God has not cast away His people (Romans 11:1). When He comes back again, He will descend and split the Mount of Olives. And with one word, He will slaughter the anti-christ who, for 3 and a half years, has been killing the Jewish people.

Remember this promise from God to Israel written in Genesis 12:3 "I will bless those who bless you,And I will curse him who curses you;

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”.

While it is true that the nation of Israel is yet to wake up from their blindness regarding their Messiah, but they are definitely NOT cut-off from God's covenant. One day, all of Israel will be saved and we look forward to that day.

With this, let us always be prayerful for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel. Let us also pray for the safety of the Jewish people in as much as we also pray for our own safety. Blessed day to all of us!

Shalom Jerusalem!

(Photos are property of my Bible teacher Ideal Baldoni)

How Are We Really Saved?

THIS question is the foundation of all things. How we answer this will govern our entire christian walk. Thus, where we find our answers is literally a matter of heaven and hell.

Depending on the doctrine we grew up with, the subject of salvation can be very controversial. Different christian denominations have been split on this subject - yet the Bible has only ONE thing to say on this.

Very explicitly, The Bible is plain and consistent: The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38). In Ephesians 2:8, it tells us "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God".


If that's not enough, The Bible interprets what it means to be saved by grace. In Romans 11:6, it contrasts the two "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."

The ultimate answer is that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. By believing in Him and what He has done at the cross, we are identifying ourselves with His death, His burial, and His resurrection (Acts 13:61, Romans 10:9).

Thus, our good works has nothing to do with attaining salvation in as much as salvation can only be freely given as a gift, and not laboriously attained.

What about good works then? Did not the Bible say in James 2:24 that "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone"? And did it not proceed to say that "Faith without works is dead?"

This is why we must rightly divide the word of truth ( 2 Timothy 2:15). What the book of James is saying in a nutshell is this: now that we have been saved through faith, let's not be unproductive, fruitless, and idle. But rather, let us go out there and be a blessing to others. We are blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:2). Thus, good works is the fruit of salvation, and not the root of it.

Ephesians 2:10 will testify to that as it says "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

While this may be an eye-opener to some, this can also be offensive to many who insist on their own tradition and resist what the Bible says. But what matters to us is our salvation and how we need to be anchored in Jesus Christ alone and His finished work. That's what really matters the most. God paid a dear price for this salvation, and He will not allow anyone to corrupt what His Son has died for.

We Are Blood-Bought

GOD had a choice: spare His Son and let all of us just burn in hell, or spare us which would then cost Him His Son.

His Son is perfect, we are not. His Son is sinless, we are not. His Son is righteous and holy, we are not.

Yet, God did the unthinkable. He spared not His only Son but gave Him up for us. His Son's death bought us out of the slave market of sin. His blood was shed inorder to wash away the stain of sins and so that we be reconciled to a perfect and sinless God.

With this, let us be assured that we are not just any other face in this world. Let us always bear in mind that we are blood-bought, not with the blood of bulls and goats that they used to offer during those days, but by the royal blood of Jesus Christ. Take heart! We matter to Him!

On Reading the Bible "Too Much"

ANOTHER erroneous saying that we want to debunk today is this: "Too much reading of the Bible can make you crazy". It is not so prevalent in many areas in Cebu, but it exists nonetheless. And thus, it needs to be addressed at once.

First, we want to establish that the Bible is breathed by God (2 Tim 3:16) and all the words of God are true (Ps 119:160). Jesus said that we are not only to live by bread alone, but also by every word of God (Mt 4:4). Moreover, Jesus Himself is the Word of God, who already co-existed with God, who came down in the flesh and tabernacled among us (John 1:14).

Second, Jesus Himself has a high regard for the Scriptures. When He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He used the Scriptures to overcome the testings. He used the lines "it is written... (Mt 4:4, Lk 4:4). If Jesus Himself esteemed the Bible highly, how much more should we?

Lastly, The Holy Spirit is the main Author of the Bible working in different secretaries who came from different backgrounds. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and it is He who has inspired all the words that are written in the Bible. With this, we are assured that the Bible does not sway us away from what the Father and the Son wants us to do. Instead, it is wise if we listen to what He has to say since it is He who knows all things about the Father and the Son.

Combining all the three, we can conclude that we should be reading the Bible as frequent as we can contrary to the false saying that it can make us crazy if we read it too much.

We don't live by just reading it once a month. Nobody here eats a meal and then lives the next 17 days without eating again. Likewise, we can't face life without feeding from the Word of God. We were designed to feed on it. We were made to become dependent on His Words. We need Him.

This saying that says "Too much reading of the Bible can make you crazy" is nothing more than a false staement from the pit of hell. It is a Satanic statement meant to discourage anyone from reaching out to the Bible. How can it make one crazy when it is the very food that we were made to feed on?

In closing, we want to encourage you to go to the Bible as often as you can. It is like a fountain springing forth with fresh water. Anyone who is thirsty and comes to this fountain will surely be satisfied, and in return, out of His own belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38).

An Open Encouragement To All

What are you more conscious of today? 

Is it healing?

Is it financial provision? 

Is it career problems? 

Or is it a broken relationship?

Whatever it is, cast it all to the Lord and as His Word promises, there is no way He will let you down. Believe and be settled that this Big God is right in your midst, working things in you, though you, and for you. We serve a good God. And all He has for you are all plans of good and not evil. Blessed day ahead!

The God Of David Is Our God Too!

EVERYBODY knows about how a boy named David swung a tiny stone against a towering demon in the person of Goliath. And so the stone went up in the air and punched through the bronze helmet of the giant monster. Miraculously, the 2.74 meter demon tumbled down at the impact of the small stone, and then David ran and used Goliath's own sword and decapitated the giant beast.

But what many of us forget is that even before the battle, David was so sure that the Lord God will deliver Goliath into his hands, and that he will strike Goliath's head off from his body.

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. (1 Samuel 16:45-46)

David had a good opinion about God. He knew that God is on his side. And with what he knew, he went about the battle and ended up victorious.

As believers in Jesus Christ, it is important that we be established in the truth that God is a good God and that He is for us and not against us. It is so important because this will not only give you a full assurance that you are not alone, but it will also assure you that with God on your side, you will always be victorious against all your Goliaths in life.

Goliath was a giant but David was small and the result was a miracle. Don't be afraid of the towering Goliaths in your life. The same God who fought for David is fighting for you. You are not alone. You are not on the losing end. The God of Israel who defeated David's enemy is very much alive and present your life and He is actively decapitating all the giants that are on your way. Be strong and have faith.

Bible Study - Genesis

Hi Everyone!

We will be starting off with our Bible Study soon and the first book that we will be looking at is Genesis. This is the Book that tells us the beginning of all things. We will be giving out free notes as well. More information will be given out in the days to come. God bless us all!

A God Who Helps The Helpless

MANY of us in the Philippines, especially in Cebu, grew up with this line "Lihok tao kai tabangan tika", which is the Cebuano equivalent for "God helps those who help themselves". Not knowing where it really came from, we freely allowed it to seep into our lives.

But the Bible teaches the opposite. Isaiah 25:4 tells us "For You have been a strength (defense) to the poor (helpless), A strength to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, A shade from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall."

And in another portion in Romans 5:6, the Bible tells us this "For when we were still without strength (or helpless), in due time Christ died for the ungodly".

So wherein lies this idea that God helps only those who help themselves? This is definitely an erroneous teaching.In fact, this line is most often attributed to Ben Franklin who was not even a believer. See how corrupted ideas of some men have crept into our lives just because we do not know the Bible?

Friends, the Lord Jesus is our good Shepherd and as our Shepherd, He delights in helping us. He does not close His eyes toward our helplessness. He is our very present help in time of need (Psalm 46:1).

Ask us!

WE always ask questions. As human beings, we always do. Many a times, the trials that we are going through bubble out some questions like "why do we have to suffer?" or "where is God in all this mess?". If you are sick, you may be asking "why am I still sick if God is good"? Or even the question, "Is there really a God?".

Needless to say, nobody here on earth has got all the answers to all the questions. However, God left us One Item that has answers. The sad thing is that we tend to seek answers in all the wrong places.

The Bible is the written word of God and is breathed by God. We believe that all questions pertaining to our life here on earth can be found in the words written on the Bible's pages.

Allow us to help you in finding these answers. By the grace of the Lord Jesus and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we will deliver you what the Bible has got to say about your questions.

You may send us your questions through this page or email us at bethavibs@gmail.com

Thank you and blessed evening!